The Promotion of Official Marriage Certificates during the New Policies Period of the Late Qing:A Case Study of Sichuan Province

<P><STRONG>Author(s):</STRONG> <EM>Wu Peilin<BR></EM><BR><STRONG>Source: </STRONG><EM>Historical Research<BR></EM><BR><EM><STRONG>Abstract:</STRONG></EM> During the late Qing New Policies period,with a view to changing corrupt folk marriage customs and increasing funding for implementing the new policies,the government of Sichuan province ordered the abolition of gengtie(庚帖,a written marriage proposal on which the year,month,date and hour of one’s birth are stated) to be replaced by purchase of uniformly printed official marriage certificates.Detailed measures for the implementation of this policy were formulated and it was widely publicized at all levels.However,because the customs were too deep-rooted,the measures promoting the policy were too simplistic and the new regulations existed in name only,the policy not only failed to abolish the old folk customs but also brought about new problems,and thus ended in failure.This process reflected the actual political,economic,legal and social realities in a situation of tremendous change as well as the degree of compatibility and tension between the folk customs and national law.It provides a good example for the study of China’s transformation from a traditional to a modern society.<BR></P>